The next moment his questioning gaze was humiliatingly answered as she placed the handle of a large spoon into his hand as if he was a toddler learning to feed himself. His embarrassment was complete when she took a single paper towel from the dispenser in the kitchen and stuffed it down the front of his shirt to act as a bib.
When he had finished, she put a bowl of stewed prunes in front of him and said, “Eat these, Honey. Momma doesn’t want you to get constipated. You were always constipated when you were seven.”
He ate the prunes reluctantly, then asked if he could leave the table. She told him it was a nice day and she wanted him to go out and play in the sunshine.